Police Officer Appeals Sexual Assault Conviction

0:00It's April 2, I'm Cory with the story. This is Cindy News today, driven by AI. A former New South Wales police officer got convicted for sexually assaulting his 13-year-old stepdaughter, and now he's appealing that ruling. The corps found him guilty of masturbating next to her on the couch while holding her hand, plus trying to spy on her in the shower. Judge Jeff Linden hit him with an 18-month prison term, including at least three months before parole eligibility. This all went down in Cobb's harbor at local court, where the guy showed up by video link on Thursday. He was still on the forceback then, living up north, and had stepped into the stepdad role years earlier. Prosecutors stressed how he abused his position of trust right in her own home. The impact hit hard, with the judge calling it a serious sexual assault that profoundly affected the young victim. Defense argued his post-traumatic stress disorder and depression played a role, plus it was his first time facing custody after losing his police job.

1:01Last year, they pushed for leniency given his background. But the judge suspended the whole sentence right away since the appeals are already filed in the Supreme Court. He maintains his innocence despite the guilty verdict from December 2nd, 2025. Directions hearings set for April 7th, so we'll see if that conviction sticks or gets overturned. Either way, it underscores the heavy toll these. This is take on everyone involved.